Marking device with snap-on head assembly



Oct. 10, 1961 s. N. ROSENTHAL MARKING DEVICE WITH SNAP-0N HEAD ASSEMBLY Filed July 29, 1959 FIG.

1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,003,181 MARKING DEVICE WITH SNAP-0N HEAD ASSEMBLY Sidney N. Rosenthal, Belle Harbor, N.Y., assignor to Speedry Chemical Products, Inc., Richmond Hill, N.Y. Filed July 29, 1959, Ser. No. 830,357 6 Claims. (Cl. 15-563) This invention relates to a marking device with snapon head assembly which is adapted for use with inks having different kinds of bases.

An object of the invention is to provide a marking device which essentially comprises a marking nib of felt or some similar material and wherein the ink is carried by an absorbent member from which the ink is fed to the nib by capillarity, which is substantially vapor tight when not in use, thus making it possible to use highly volatile bases or solvents for the ink, which may be recharged with ink by the user, quickly and easily, and which will be relatively simple and inexpensive to construct and assemble.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description of the invention and of the embodiment illustrated in the drawing progresses.

In the drawing in which the presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated,

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged elevation of the marking device;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view through FIG- URE 1 on the plane of line 3-3 on FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view through FIG- URE 1 on the plane of line 4-4 on FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal sectional view through FIG URE l on the plane of line 5-5 on FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal sectional view through FIG- I URE 1 on the plane of line 66 of FIGURE 2.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in the drawing the device comprises, fundamentally, a barrel or ink reservoir 10 which is of hollow cylindrical or other desirable form, which easily, comfortably and conveniently may be gripped in the hand of the user. A head assembly indicated generally by the reference numeral 12 is made, preferably, of polyethylene or of similar mate rial, portions of which possess some degree of resiliency, and is removably carried by the open end of the reservoir 10. The reservoir 10 is provided with an ink carrier 14 made of felt or similar ink absorbent material. The head 12, which snaps on and 0E the reservoir, carries a nib 16 the outer end of which is used for marking and the inner end of which contacts the carrier 14 to supply ink to the marking end by capillarity. This nib 16 is preferably of felt or other similar material which is relatively harder than the carrier 14 and yet is capable of capillary action.

The elements of the head assembly are, preferably, integral with each other and comprise a cap portion 18, a nib holder 20 and a nipple 22.

A channel 24 extends axially as a continuous bore through the nib holder 20 and the nipple 22 and is open at both ends to permit the nib to extend into the ink reservoir and also beyond the end of the nib holder.

The flange 26 of the cap 18 is spaced from the nipple 22, thus creating an annular channel 28, FIGURE 5, for the reception of the neck portion of the reservoir, as later will be explained.

The free end of the nipple 22 is provided with an annular bearing surface or shoulder 30 for engagement with portions of the inner end of the nib and is also provided with a taper surface 32 to facilitate the emplacement of the head assembly on the reservoir, as later will be described.

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At the outer end of the nib holder 2% are located oppositely disposed notches 34.

The nib 16 which is of relatively hard felt or some similar capillary material, comprises a shank portion 36 which is located in the channel 24.

A pair of wings 38 is located adjacent the outer end of the shank portion and fit snugly within the notches 34 with a face-to-face engagement at 46, which engagement prevents the ni'b from being forced inwardly during use.

The nib is also provided with a marking point 42, of any desirable form, extending beyond the wings 38.

The shank 36 which is of less transverse dimensions than the channel 24-, thus providing air passages 44-, has shoulders 46 adjacent the wings 38 which tightly fit in the channel 24, thus cooperating with the Wings 38 firmly to emplace the outer end of the nib. The cross section of the channel 24 may he of many configurations but, when it is circular as shown in the drawing, the outer end is preferably constructed into an elliptical form to more closely embrace the nib and yet leave an airway around the nib.

The inner end of the nib is provided with shoulders 48 which overlap and engage the annular face 30 on the nipple 22.. The inner end of the nib is reduced to substantially pointed form for engagement with the ink carrier 14 in the barrel 10'.

A reduced neck portion 50 is located at the upper end of the barrel or reservoir 10, thus creating a shoulder 52.

In order to insure a vapor-tight joint between the ink reservoir and the head assembly the outside diameter of the nipple 22 is slightly greater than the inside diameter of the neck of the reservoir into which it fits.

Preferably the thickness of the wall of this reservoir neck is slightly greater than the width of the annular space or channel 28 of the cap into which it extends and there is a forced face-to-face contact of the cap with the neck at the outer edge 54 of the neck 50 and at the shoulder 56 of inwardly extending flange 53 of the cap 18.

The reservoir 10 is sufficiently long to form a comfortable hand grip.

The ink carrier 14 is positioned in the reservoir Ill with its upper end in forced contact with the lower pointed end of the nib by means of a resilient member, as a coil spring 60, an end portion of which also serves the purpose of stiffening the ink carrier 14 without materially affecting its capillarity. The positioning of the ink carrier 14 by the nib and the resilient member 60 and as spaced from the enclosing wall surfaces of reservoir 10 insures the passage of air completely around the carrier which is necessary to the capillary action.

The assembly of the various elements of this marking device is simple and may be accomplished in a relatively short time by unskilled operators.

The inner end of the nib is inserted in and pushed inwardly through the channel 24, the protruding shoulder portions 48 being compressed until they pass beyond the lower end of the nipple 22 at which time their engagement of the shoulders with the annular face 30 will prevent the accidental outward movement of the nib. But the shoulders 48 may be flexed to permit deliberate withdrawal.

With the engagement at 46 between the wings 33 and the bottoms of the notches 34, the marking end of the nib will be held in proper position securely.

The nib having been emplaced in the head assembly, the resilient cap potrion 18 of the latter may be snapped on the neck of the reservoir into the position shown in FIGURE 2. Thus there will be three vapor-sealing contacts between the head assembly and the ink reservoir to prevent volatilization of the ink base.

In order to prevent escape of the volatile portions of the ink both from the reservoir and from the nib and to maintain the nib in marking condition, a cap 62 is re movably mounted on the nib holder 20 and is sealed at its inner end by snug engagement of said inner end in annular channel 64 due to the resiliency of the plastic nib holder at this location.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described many changes in the details of construction may be made within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a marking device, a head assembly, an ink reservoir, snap-on means securing the head assembly and ink reservoir together, said head assembly having a channel extending therethrough to establish communication between the ink reservoir and the atmosphere, a capillary flexible nib removably mounted in said channel and having shoulders adjacent its ends engaging said head assembly to oppose longitudinal movements of said nib longitudinally of said channel.

2. Means according to claim 1 wherein the head assembly is an integral tube of circular cross-section whose channel is the interior of the tube; with the nib being of rectangular cross-section Whose diagonals are equal to the internal diameter of the tube; the sides of the tube at its upper end being longitudinally notched, the upper end of the nib being transversely enlarged to provide wings fitting in said notches, the lower ends of such wings providing such shoulders.

3. Means according to claim 2 wherein said tube fits inside the ink reservoir and has a skirt embracing the ink reservoir; the tube and its skirt thus defining an annular groove receiving the end of the reservoir.

4. In a marking device, a head assembly comprising an integral resilient plastic structure, including a cap portion, a nib holder portion extending therefrom, a nipple portion within said cap portion in spaced relation to the inner wall thereof, said nib holder and nipple having a channel extending completely therethrough, a capillary flexible nib mounted in said channel with one end protruding from the outer end of said nib holder and its 4 other end protruding from the inner end of said nipple, said nib having shoulders adjacent its ends in engagement with end shoulder portions of said nib holder and nipple to oppose the movement of said nib in either direction in said channel, said nib holder having at its outer end, oppositely disposed open notches, and said nib having lateral wings snugly retained in said notches against rotative and endwise movements in relation to the holder.

5. In a marking device, a reservoir having an open end and a closed end, a head assembly mounted on said reservoir and incdluding a nib holder, a capillary nib mounted in said nib holder with one end extending outwardly therefrom and the other end extending inwardly into said reservoir, an absorbent capillary ink carrier within said reservoir and of less length than the same and resilient means between the carrier and the closed end of the reservoir for operatively positioning said carrier within said reservoir and forcing said carrier into ink transferring contact with the inner end of said nib.

6. In a marking device, a reservoir, a head assembly mounted on said reservoir and including a nib holder, a capillary nib mounted in said nib holder with one end extending outwardly therefrom and the other end extending inwardly therefrom, an absorbent capillary ink carrier within said reservoir and of less length than the same, resilient means positioning said carrier within said reservoir and forcing said carrier into contact with the inner end of said nib, said head assembly having a space therein surrounding said nib and with its outer end open to the atmosphere and with its inner end open to the interior of said reservoir, the efiective area of said outer end opening being relatively restricted as compared to the efiective area of said inner end opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,547,541 Rosenthal Apr. 3, 1951 2,640,216 Gottlieb June 2, 1953 2,820,233 Steiner Ian. 21, 1958 2,823,403 Whitney Feb. 18, 1958 

